Australian Fires

Thursday, 4 July 2013

It’s the time of year when fires – natural or deliberately lit – break out all over Sumatra in Indonesia and the smoke drifts across Malaysia and Singapore causing local outrage and international disputes. It seems like every year is worse than the year before.

▲ Flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne in Australia recently there were plenty of fires down below as we crossed Melville Island and tracked south over Darwin in the Northern Territory. Australia often seems to be on fire, fly over the Outback at night and there always seems to be a red flare in the most remote and unpopulated regions. They’re generally started by lightning strikes.